The Safe Place
by Rovigo32
Summary: After coming home to find her husband abusing Harry, Petunia Dursley clearly states she's had the last straw. She takes her son and nephew and leaves, hoping to reach the wizarding world, longing for a new, better, life, and for a safe place where she can raise her two boys properly, with the help of her sister's old friends. Petunia/Severus/Remus frienship


**Author's Note: **Hello everybody, I wanted to explain a few things before you read chapter one of the story. This is my first Harry Potter story. I'm not new to the site, but I've rarely come to this section, and I haven't read many HP stories – _yet_. I don't know how many times the topic of my story has been explored; I haven't read any stories about Petunia taking care of Harry and Dudley for real, having preferred other characters to read about. I hope you'll find _The Safe Place_ interesting enough to keep reading. I've read all the books and seen all the films, but I might miss some details, especially because I'm not one to research everything about a book/series, no matter how much I'm obsessed with it. I should also say that I'm Italian, and I've read the books in my native language. For this reason I might make mistakes regarding specific words used by J.K. Rowling. If that is the case, please let me know and I'll fix it. Other warning: I might throw in some American terms, because I'm currently studying Anglo-American at university. I'll obviously try not to, but I'm not perfect. I'll also do my best to update quickly and regularly, but it all depends on my inspiration and free time. This is it, you can enjoy reading now!

**CHAPTER 1—The Last Straw**

Petunia Dursley, neé Evans, was walking home with her son Dudley from the ice-cream shop at the corner of the street. It was Dudley's birthday, and the day had started beautifully for Petunia, only to be ruined when her sister's son, Harry, accidentally let out a snake at the zoo, instigating it against his terrified cousin. Harry didn't really want it to happen, Petunia knew it, but she had no power over her husband, and he was furious. After dropping her and Dudley to get ice-cream, he went home with the boy to punish him. Petunia didn't know what he had in mind, but usually Harry got away with a few slaps and being locked in his cupboard for the day without supper. Petunia wasn't sure if it was okay for him to sleep in there, but he was tiny after all, and didn't need much space.

"Here we are, Dudders. Now Harry will apologize to you, and after that you can play with your new presents while I cook your favourite dinner. How does it sound, Pumpkin?" Petunia said, squeezing her son closer to her. He was growing, really growing. He was eleven now. Petunia smiled at herself knowing what was hidden in her pocket.

Once in front of their house, the woman let herself and Dudley in with a half-fake smile, but gasped in horror as soon as her eyes caught sight of what was happening in Harry's cupboard. She quickly pushed Dudley back outside, shutting the front door loudly. Vernon didn't even wince. The door of the cupboard under the stairs was open, and Petunia could easily see inside. She saw Vernon's back, and his exposed backside. Harry silently laid under Vernon's heavy body, completely naked. His glasses had fallen to the ground, broken.

_Harry! NO!_, she yelled inside her head; "_Vernon!_" she screeched instead, launching herself forward. But she certainly couldn't induce Vernon to move from the boy, she knew that. Suddenly, ten years of mistreatment came to surface. She clearly saw in her mind Vernon yelling at young Harry, calling him ugly names – _a freak!_ - as he spoiled Dudley rotten, giving him toys, food, love, and giving Harry nothing, only bad words, insults and slaps. Petunia had watched it all, accepted it all, taken all that weight on her shoulders, without letting Harry know that she did care, that she did suffer, that she did love him. She didn't know why she did that. Why she hid her true feelings, and let her husband talk in that way about her beloved sister and her fabulous world. She couldn't go back now, but she surely could move forward, and change their life once and for all in a good way. This was the last straw. She couldn't take no more, and neither could the fragile boy half-unconscious before her eyes. Petunia acted quickly, impulsively, maybe for the first time in her life. She grabbed the blue earthenware vase on the small table of the corridor, crashing it onto Vernon's head, flowers, water and all. Pleased by her so-far unknown strength, Petunia allowed herself to smirk as her husband rolled off of Harry's bed and fell to the ground, finally freeing the boy.

"Harry!" Petunia hurried to her nephew, worried. She brushed her fingers against his sweaty forehead. "Harry, please, open you eyes. Do you hear me? I'm not going to hurt you. I promise. We're going to leave. And Vernon won't come with us. Don't worry, dear. It's all over. Come on..."

Petunia could feel Harry stir, but he wasn't very reactive. Petunia took in his appearance like she hadn't done in years, and she lifted him, wrapping him in a blanket. He wasn't heavy at all. Of course he wasn't, she told herself, Vernon made sure he ate less and worse than a stray dog.

She closed the door of the cupboard, leaving Vernon hidden inside. "Good boy, Harry. I'll carry you outside now, to the car. Dudley!" she exclaimed, struggling to open the door as she walked outside. "Dudley, honey, we need to get into our car."

"Where are we going? Where's Daddy? Why are you touching _him_?" the boy asked.

"His name is Harry," Petunia cut him off sharply. It was probably the first time in Dudley's life that he was scolded. "And you are to be nice to him. Your Dad is inside, but he won't come with us. We're going to drive for a while, and then I'm going to take you and your cousin in a wonderful place, a better place, where we'll be safe. You'll love it." Petunia opened the passenger door and helped Harry into the car, fastening his belt. Then she opened the door to the back seat. "In you go, Dudders." she motioned for her son to get in.

"Why does he get to sit with you?" Dudley grumbled unhappily.

"Because he's not feeling very well, and I want to keep and eye on him. You, on the other hand, are perfectly fine, and you can sit in the back seat. Come on."

This time Dudley listened to her, though he took an excessive amount of time to get in the car, close the door and put on his seat-belt.

"Can you even drive, Mum?" he asked in disbelief as Petunia started the engine. Vernon always left the keys in the car.

"I've driven once." Petunia answered with a smile. "Don't worry, Diddy, it won't be a long drive." Petunia did, once, drive. She was young, and her father showed her how to drive. She was told she was good at it, and that she would learn fast, but she had never, in fact, got a license. She knew she could manage do drive for a while before the fear of getting caught made her give in, so she hurried out of Privet Drive, along the streets she knew so well.

"Where are we going?" Dudley asked again. "And why?"

"It's a secret place. It's special, Dudley. I'll tell you all about it tonight before you go to sleep. But now I have to concentrate on driving, okay? Why don't you take a nap?"

"I'm not a baby!" Dudley fussed.

Petunia sighed. She glanced at Harry. He was so pale, so undernourished. She reached out to touch his hand. She noticed he had opened his beautiful green eyes, Lily's eyes. "Harry?"

"Aunt Petunia?"

"It's okay, Harry. You're safe. No one will ever hurt you again. You can sleep if you want. Nothing will happen while you sleep."

Petunia meant for her tone of voice to be calming and reassuring, but she didn't think Harry would ever truly trust her. He closed his eyes, but he probably did so because he was so used to obeying her and Vernon. She let out another sigh.

She drove for almost two hours, then finally parked the car. Dudley immediately got out, slamming the door. Petunia didn't say anything, she merely looked at Harry. "I'm going to buy you some good clothes and shoes." she announced. "You should stay here; you're weak and you only have a blanket with you."

Harry nodded, and Petunia gave him a soft smile, proud of how brave the young boy was. He reminded her of Lily, so much. "I'll be right back, Harry. I promise." she'd keep saying that word, over and over again, until Harry was going to believe her.

Petunia really did come back soon. She pushed the door of a shop open, Dudley at her heels, following her like always. She quickly chose three knickers, a pair of jeans, a pair of trousers, a pair of red and gold trainers – they made her think of Lily once again, and she figured Harry had high chances at being a Gryffindor – and five long-sleeved t-shirts. She would buy more once they were truly safe, away from there.

Back at the car, Petunia dressed Harry. He was more reactive now, and seemed less pale.

"I'm feeling better."

"Good, that's good. We're going to eat something, now. Come on, I'll help you walk."

Petunia didn't know how much damage Vernon had done. For all she knew, Harry could have an internal bleeding. But he did look better. There weren't bruises on his skin, and he could walk and talk now. Probably he was just under shock. Either way, Petunia was going to have Harry checked out by someone, once she managed to get the boys in the wizarding world.

They sat in a café, and Petunia ordered sandwiches, two sodas and a big bottle of water. Dudley was still whiny because 'the freak' - Petunia had scolded him several times – was with them, and Harry was wary at every move he made. He took small bites of his sandwich, as if he thought Petunia would snatch it from him at any minute. But Petunia was sweet. She smiled, and talked about happy things, even mentioning her sister once. She couldn't believe she told her nephew his mother died in a car crash. It was horrible. _She_ was horrible. But now she was going to act better, and she would make up for all her wrongs.

"You can play in a park for a few hours. Then, at dusk, we'll take a very special bus, called Knight Bus, and it will take us at the wonderful place I mentioned earlier."

Lily told her everything about the Knight Bus. She had showed up at her doorstep about two years before her death, scared and worried. She talked about an evil wizard, and about a war that was getting worse and worse. Lily described everything in detail, wanting Petunia to understand the danger they all were in. She explained that, if some day she was in trouble or danger and couldn't contact her, she could take the Knight Bus. She said it showed up after the sun set, and only if one needed it and wished for it to appear. She said it worked for muggles with wizarding knowledge, and that it would take her to the Leaky Cauldron in London, from where she could access to Diagon Alley with the help of a witch or a wizard.

So now, at nine thirty pm in that June night, Petunia was thinking intensely about the bus. She was slightly worried to not do it right, but soon enough it appeared in front of her and the two tired boys.

Dudley and Harry both gasped in shock, but Petunia was merely amazed. She'd been in Diagon Alley with Lily and their parents when they had to get Lily's school supplies, but she hadn't seen much of that world, due to her stupid jealousy that made her angry and stubborn. This was amazing for her eyes. She had always wished to see more of Lily's world, and now she was staring right at it. Steadily, she grabbed they boys' hands and walked inside.

"We need to get to the Leaky Cauldron, please."

The drive wasn't as pleasant as she had hoped. Dudley was scared by the speed, Harry looked like he was going to vomit, and the conductor and the driver were strange. It was uncomfortable, but they arrived soon, and Petunia led the boys into the Leaky Cauldron. Lily had once explained that Muggles couldn't see it, but Petunia knew she could because she was with magical people.

"Hello." she said to the owner. Tom, maybe? "I'd like a room, please. And also... if you could please contact someone for me. I don't know how to. I need to talk to a man called Severus Snape." when Tom nodded, she continued. "Thank you very much. My name is Petunia, he'll know."

After getting the two cousins settled in the room, which was long and difficult due to Dudley's complaints and questions, Petunia went back downstairs and waited. After a good quarter of hour, the fireplace produced a big flash and noise, and Severus Snape stepped forward. Petunia quickly hid her shock, and stood up instead, ready to explain why she had summoned him so urgently.

"Hello, Petunia."

"Severus!" suddenly, the woman felt a big wave of relief take over her, and her legs gave in. She fell back on the armchair, shaking slightly.

"What do you need me for?"

"Sit down, Severus, please. I have to explain everything in detail." he did so, and waited for her to talk again. "I suppose you remember how jealous I was of Lily while we were growing up. Well, it made me bitter and angry and mean. When my husband and I found Harry on our doorstep, I told him everything about Lily and her world, pushing him to think it was a bad environment and that wizards and witches were freaks. I didn't think it would backfire on me at the time, or that it would hurt Harry. I thought that if we treated him like a 'freak', his magic would disappear, and he would be normal. But he kept have episodes of accidental magic, just like Lily did when she was little, before we knew. It made me angry. I was scared he'd die. I was scared he'd become an evil wizard. I don't know what I was thinking, because it no longer makes sense, but I treated Harry poorly. Vernon, Dudley – my son – and I treated Harry like he was nothing to us, like he didn't deserve to exist and to live in our house. Except he did matter, but no one knows it but me. Harry accidentally did magic this morning. It's Dudley's birthday, and we went to the zoo. Harry was supposed to stay with a neighbour, but she broke her leg, and so we took him with us. The kids were watching a snake, and I don't know what happened, I think Dudley upset Harry in some way, but suddenly the glass was gone and the snake was out. As we were going back home, Vernon was livid. He kept yelling at Harry. I didn't say anything, I was scared and upset and I wanted Dudley to stop crying. Vernon suddenly calmed down and told Dudley I would take him to get ice-cream. So he dropped us off at the end of our street and he went home with Harry. You know, to punish him." at this point, Petunia had tears on her face, and she didn't dare to look up, knowing she would find disgust on Severus' face. "Usually he just yells at Harry and locks him his cup- his room, but when I came home he was... he was abusing Harry. He was, he was—I don't know if he's done it before. I didn't think him capable of something so brutal and horrible. Anyway, I crashed a vase on his head and he passed out, and I took the kids and drove for hours. Then I took the Knight Bus. Lily told me how to years ago, before she died. I wasn't sure it would stop for me, but it did, and I got here. I though I would be safe here. That _they_ would be safe, and that we could start a new life together, as better people. But I don't even know if I, as a muggle, can stay in the wizarding world."

Silence followed Petunia's speech, giving her some time to compose herself. But before quietening down, she cried. She cried her heart out, releasing all the pain she felt for her sister's death, for the end of her marriage, for how she had raised the two children she loved more than life itself.

"Take me to the boy." Snape said. "To Harry. I'll check if he has injuries."

Petunia nodded, rising again. They didn't talk, didn't look at one another. Petunia felt ashamed. Once upstairs, she opened the door of the bedroom, and motioned for the man to step in. Severus positioned himself in front of the bed.

"He looks just like his father." he said in a short breath, stunned.

Petunia smiled in the dark. "He has Lily's eyes." she whispered in answer.

Severus seemed to abruptly come out of a haze when, a minute later, he stepped forward and ran his wand over Harry, muttering words that Petunia couldn't understand.

"He's fine. Excessively underweight, but otherwise fine."

"Thank you."

Severus gave her a brief nod, glancing at her. He walked out of the room, waiting for Petunia to follow.

"I'll come back in the morning, and take you to a friend's of Lily and James. You'll be safe there, and won't draw attention. I'm guessing Harry doesn't know about all this?" at Petunia's feeble nod, he continued. "We can explain together, tomorrow. Just watch over them for the night, and stay away from magical people, I don't want them to realize what's going on."

"Thank you, Severus. I was scared to death. You were the only one I knew who would help me. I regret what I did, you know. I'm going to make it up to Harry. I don't think I'll ever forgive myself, but I'll be a better person. That I promise you."

There was a pregnant pause, during which Petunia was forced to look away due to Severus' judgimental facial expression.

"I'll see you in the morning."


End file.
